175 



In the latter part of May, 191 6, a cointract was entered into 

 with the United States Drainage and Irrigation Company, of 

 New York, and Mr. P. h. Buttrick, of New Haven, Conn., was 

 engaged as engineer to represent the corporation, Mr. Buttrick 

 being a mosquitO' expert with a record of successful service in 

 Connecticut. On June 5, 191 6, the work was started. 



It is, so far as we know, the largest exclusively private mos- 

 quito drainage project ever undertaken, and, with the exception 

 of the New York City contract on Jamaica Bay, probably the 

 largest individual mosquito drainage contract ever let. The 

 original contract called for one million feet more or less of 

 drainage ditches to be dug at one and three- fourths cents per 

 foot. The area to be drained covered, approximately, 4,200 

 acres. When the County Commission was organized about 

 i,oooi acres were eliminated at the eastern end of the work, the 

 Commission having agreed to take it over. The work up to the 

 million-foot limit was to have been completed by August 15th, 

 but owing partly to labor conditions and partly to a feeling on 

 the part of the contracting firmi that there wias no' reason for 

 haste, the million-foot mark was not passed till about December 

 1st. About October ist, when it became evident that the con- 

 tracting firm was falling hopelessly behind in meeting their obli- 

 gations as to the time tO' completion of the work, a large section 

 of meadow on Jamaica Bay was eliminated from the contract, 

 and the work upon it was turned over to another firm. As the 

 work on these contracts has not yet been completed it is is im- 

 possible to give a final summary of the work, yet to date ap- 

 proximately i,200',00Oi feet of trench have been dug on an area 

 of about 3,ooO' acres, or approximately 400 feet to the acre. 

 The cost per aicre has therefore been abont $7. There remains 

 to be dug some 75,000' feet more to finish the areas under con- 

 tract. 



The technical side of our work has proved quite simple. No 

 large areas of sunken or shut-in meadow have been encountered 

 such as are found not infrequently in Connecticut and New' 

 Jersey. Our chief difficulty has been on certain meadows where 

 sand was encountered a few inches below the surface and the 



